Volume 14, Number 7: January 9, 2008
CAMPUS NEWS
University Research Council Spring Award
The University Research Council (URC) of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill administers a small grant program for faculty and professional librarians at UNC-Chapel Hill. There are two types of grants—Research and Publication—both with a maximum award of $5,000. The council encourages the use of URC grants as a stepping stone to extramural support.
The deadline this spring is February 25, 2008 (new deadline). For more information about this small grant program and other internal funding programs sponsored by the Vice Chancellor for Research and Economic Development, click here.
Attachments in RAMSeS
The Office of Sponsored Research (OSR) has announced that while many attachments are currently accessible in the Proposals section of RAMSeS (Research Administration Management System & eSubmission), only a few sponsors' files have been added to the Awards section. But if you've been granted award-data access, you'll eventually be able to view many of the Awards attachments. OSR staff will scan legacy files in the coming months and will scan all new accounts into RAMSeS beginning January 1.
If you have questions about RAMSeS, please contact the ORIS Help Line at 843-2594. Feel free to send your feedback to Andrew Reynolds or Jim Peterson at any time.
Deadline Extended for DeFriese Career Development Awards
Nominations for the Gordon H. DeFriese Career Development Awards will be accepted until Friday, January 25 at 5 p.m. The awards recognize DeFriese's thirty-year distinguished career in the conduct and development of research to improve quality of life for older North Carolinians and his unwavering commitment to supporting the careers of his colleagues.
Candidates include junior faculty, staff, and/or doctoral students who have amassed or are developing a record of scholarly contributions and leadership in the field of aging.
More information is available on the Institute on Aging website. Questions may be addressed to Mary Altpeter at 919-966-9444.
Identifying Funding Sources: Workshop for Research Administrators
Date: Thursday, February 7
Time: 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Place: 3101 Administrative Office Building (AOB)
UNC-Chapel Hill research administrators are invited to attend this hands-on workshop, part of the Tar Heel Certificate Program in Research Administration, on how to help your faculty find funding for research and departmental programs. The workshop will focus on COS features that enable research support staff to more easily share funding information with researchers electronically via e-newsletters, websites, and other means. Susan Gramling, GrantSource Librarian, will provide time-saving tips for conducting a funding search and an overview of resources and services available through the GrantSource Library.
In this interactive short course, you will learn how to:
- make the most effective use of the COS and InfoEd Sponsored Programs Information Network (SPIN) multidisciplinary funding opportunity databases;
- set up customized funding alerts via COS (including its new features for sharing and tracking funding opportunities);
- set up customized funding alerts using InfoEd SMARTS/GENIUS;
- search for funding using specialized funding resources such as NIH Guide and Foundation Directory Online; and
- research actual funded awards made by NIH, NSF, EPA, AHRQ, and other sponsors, both government and private.
There will also be time for discussion so please come prepared to share ideas and tips on what works in your department (and what doesn't).
Each participant will have access to a computer for searching. Seating is limited to 12 participants, and registration is required. For more information contact gs@unc.edu or 962-3463.
Odum Institute Short Courses
The Odum Institute offers short courses for social science researchers and their students throughout the academic year. These courses cover a variety of topics including topics in qualitative, quantitative, and spatial analysis, survey research, and grants. They range in length from one hour to several days.
To find out more about the courses and see the current schedule, click here.
Visualization and Collaboration Facilities at the Health Sciences Library
The Health Sciences Library (HSL) Collaboration Center, in room 237 of the renovated HSL, was developed in partnership with the Renaissance Computing Institute (RENCI) in 2005. The Collaboration Center offers advanced visualization and collaboration technologies that can be used for research, community outreach activities, clinical applications, or educational programs. Through the center, research teams can visualize their data in large format and high resolution and share their data, applications, and visualizations with colleagues around the world. For example, students and faculty can virtually attend a biomedical conference taking place on another campus or in another country.
The center also provides technology orientation and dedicated visualization programming expertise.
Collaboration Center technologies include:
- A 10'x8' high-resolution display wall, capable of resolution of 12.5 million pixels (4,096 x 3,072 pixel native resolution). Compatible with both Linux and Windows applications.
- The Access Grid multicast system, which allows multiple groups worldwide to collaborate in real-time and to share data and applications.
- A “smart” whiteboard that captures notes and diagrams during brainstorming sessions.
- Software tools, workstations, and an LCD projection system.
To use, see a demonstration, or learn more about the HSL Collaboration Center, contact the Collaboration Center Manager at 962-0264.
Postdoctoral Scholar Orientation
Date: Wednesday, February 6,
2008
Time: 12:00 to 2:00 p.m.
Place: Medical Biomolecular Research Building G202
The spring orientation is an opportunity for new postdoctoral scholars to be introduced to the staff of the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs and gather information about health insurance, benefits, and other resources that are available to them during their appointment as a postdoctoral scholar at Carolina. There will be a welcome address from Tony Waldrop, Vice Chancellor for Research and Economic Development, and a peer panel discussion on the topic of "Making the Most of Your Postdoc".
Please contact the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs at 962-9982 for more information.
OTD Seminar on Developing and Commercializing Diagnostic Technology
Date: Thursday, January 17
Time: 5:15 to 6:15 p.m.
Place: 201 Chapman Hall
The Office of Technology Development (OTD) will be offering "The Ins and Outs of Developing and Commercializing Diagnostic Technology" with speakers Jonathan Meltzer and Brian Wilcox from LabCorp. This seminar will highlight technology commercialization within the clinical diagnostic industry, including the evaluation of new opportunities, licensing, and other elements of successful partnerships between universities and commercial labs.
OPA Launches Redesigned Website
The newly redesigned website for the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs (OPA) launched on Thursday, January 10. The new website will be a user-friendly direct source for finding helpful information regarding OPA and the resources available for postdoctoral scholars, faculty, and staff at UNC-Chapel Hill. There will be detailed information on medical and health benefits, career development opportunities, policies, orientation, and much more, including many newly added items.
New Patents and License Agreements
The Office of Technology Development (OTD) reports that the university received two U.S. patents and executed two license agreements in December.
PharmatrophiX, Inc. is a UNC spinout focused on developing treatments for the progression of neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease. PharmatrophiX exclusively licensed two families of novel compounds that were developed by Frank Longo's group, and have shown positive results in animal models of neurodegenerative disease.
Algynomics has non-exclusively licensed the right to use clinical samples collected from patients suffering from osteo-arthritis (OA) to search for novel biomarkers of pain and OA. The technology licensed was developed by Joanne Jordan in the Department of Medicine.
To learn more about these new patents and license agreements, please contact otd@unc.edu or call 966-3929. For other information on licenses and agreements, click here.